Armed Forces of Dranland
The Armed Forces of Dranland are the military forces of the Republic of Dranland, and consists of the Army, Navy (which includes the Marines and Coast Guard), and Air Force. The Armed Forces are fully subordinate to the civilian government, and is commanded by the President of Dranland. The Ministry of Defence, led by the Minister for Defence, is the ministry responsible for the Armed Forces, and the highest-ranking military officer is the Senior Chief of Staff. The Dranish military is small compared to nations of comparative population and wealth, but is nevertheless one of the most technologically advanced and well-trained, despite the fact that Dranland has not in centuries engaged in warfare. There are some ten million Dranians fit for military service in the event of a crisis, but Dranish law forbids conscription, even in times of emergency. Overall Organisation The overall command of the Dranish military rests with its civilian Commander-in-Chief, the President of Dranland, and the Minister for Defence. Each service is administered by a government Department and a General Staff, while certain acitivities are managed by Joint Commands. The Chiefs of General Staffs, led by the Senior Chief of Staff, co-ordinate military activities and advise their civilian leaders. Formation commanders are responsible for actual operations. Commander-in-Chief As stated above, the Dranish military is strictly subordinated to the civilian government. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Dranland is the President of Dranland (currently Joseph Egan). However, the President largely plays a merely ceremonial role as a military commander, and even the little military authority they have is exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister (currently Einion Celyn Maddocks), who is responsible for creating military policy and is the ''de facto ''strategic commander of the military. Ministry of Defence The management of the military and the execution of the military policy set by the Prime Minister is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The MoD is led by the Minister for Defence (currently Francis Hames), who is one of the highest-ranking members of the Cabinet. The MoD's annual budget hovers around 0.9% of Dranland's GDP, which is between five and six percent of government spending, depending on the size of the total budget. The Ministry of Defence is divided into a number of Departments, each led by a Junior Minister who is directly responsible to the Minister-in-Charge (i.e. the Minister for Defence). Each of the three services of the Armed Forces has a corresponding Department. However, there are a number of other Departments, with responsibilities including Military Intelligence, Military Research and Veterans' Affairs. General Staffs Each of the three services is led by a General Staff, which is responsible for administrative matters pertaining to that branch, such as training. Other areas, best dealt with on a military-wide instead of sevice-wide basis, are the responsibility of a number of Joint Commands (to be further explained below). Acutal operations are the responsibility of divisional and brigade commanders (and their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force), but the General Staffs do have some responsibility over co-ordination. Each General Staff is headed by a Chief of Staff, invariably a three-star officer except in times of war. The Chiefs of Staff regularly meet as an advisory body to the Minister for Defence and the Prime Minister, and, as stated above, co-ordinate some of the acitivities of the services. One of the three Chiefs of Staff is appointed the Senior Chief of Staff by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, with reference to Parliament. The Senior Chief of Staff (currently Hugo Dabino-Vazquez) is the most senior military commander in Dranland, but retains their three-star rank. Joint Commands As stated above, certain matters, deemed to be best administered on a military-wide basis, are under the control of Joint Commands, so named because they are composed jointly of members from all three branches of the Armed Forces. They include Materiel/Logistics, Strategy, Strategic Weapons, Cyberwarfare, Military Intelligence and Strategic Weapons. While the latter two report Junior Ministers, the others report to the Senior Chief of Staff. Joint Commands are normally placed under the command of a two-star officer. Army The Dranish Army is the branch of the Armed Forces responsible for conducting land-based operations. It is the largest of the branches, but is nevertheless considered the least effective amongst the three services. Organisation Personnel Ranks Equipment Navy The Dranish Navy is the service responsible for conducting naval operations. The Coast Guard, part of the Navy, specialises in littoral and riverine operations, and also carries out many non-military functions such as search-and-rescue operations. The Marines specialise in amphibious combat, but their high mobility means that they are often employed for other purposes by the Army, The Navy is considered the pride of the Armed Forces. Organisation Coast Guard Marines Personnel Ranks Equipment Air Force The Dranish Air Force is responsible for aerial operations such as air combat, providing air support for ground and naval forces and bombing operations. It is also responsible for air defence. The Air Force is the smallest of the three branches by a significant amount. Organisation Personnel Ranks Equipment